El Presidente Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 I came across this old postcard and did a quick search. Maine was sent to Havana Harbor to protect U.S. interests during the Cuban War of Independence. She blew up and sank on the evening of 15 February 1898, killing three-quarters of her crew. In 1898, a U.S. Navy board of inquiry ruled that the ship had been sunk by an external explosion from a mine. However, some U.S. Navy officers disagreed with the board, suggesting that the ship's magazines had been ignited by a spontaneous fire in a coal bunker. The coal used in Maine was bituminous, which is known for releasing firedamp, a mixture of gases composed primarily of flammable methane that is prone to spontaneous explosions. An investigation by Admiral Hyman Rickover in 1974 agreed with the coal fire hypothesis. The cause of her sinking remains a subject of debate.[4] The ship lay at the bottom of the harbor until 1911, when a cofferdam was built around it.[5] The hull was patched up until the ship was afloat, then she was towed to sea and sunk. Maine now lies on the sea-bed 3,600 feet (1,100 m) below the surface. The ship's main mast is now a memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalibratecuba Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 It seems the American public needs a good ship sinking to get behind entering a war: the U.S.S. Maine, Lusitania, Pearl Harbor, Gulf of Tonkin.Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanceSchmerr Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 Great blast from the past! I love old Pre-Dreadnought Battleships like USS Maine - tumblehome hull forms for steel ships always capture my interest. So unstable.... The Maine sinking is one of those sinkings that will always create debate - it just seems so easy to imagine a Spanish mine sinking it, given the geopolitical situation if the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanceSchmerr Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 3 hours ago, kalibratecuba said: It seems the American public needs a good ship sinking to get behind entering a war: the U.S.S. Maine, Lusitania, Pearl Harbor, Gulf of Tonkin. Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk Yup. USS Cole almost did the same thing. Instead it foreshadowed the events of one year later.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrightonCorgi Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 "Remember the Maine" was used by media to promote the war. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grateful13 Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 15 hours ago, kalibratecuba said: It seems the American public needs a good ship sinking to get behind entering a war: the U.S.S. Maine, Lusitania, Pearl Harbor, Gulf of Tonkin. Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk Two out of the four are also now widely known as false flag operations, the Maine and Tonkin incident. The other two were simply allowed to happen. Perhaps something people should keep in mind these days. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnigmatiC Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 I visited the memorial in Arlington many years ago. Powerful stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalibratecuba Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 "Remember the Maine" was used by media to promote the war.And it was a hit, thanks to yellow journalism.You can't dance to it! Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nino Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 On 8/8/2020 at 5:43 AM, ChanceSchmerr said: The Maine sinking is one of those sinkings that will always create debate - it just seems so easy to imagine a Spanish mine sinking it, given the geopolitical situation if the day. Spain had no interest in being involved in a war with the US. Not at all. The US had an interest in Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and a few other places. Hearst and the yellow press did push the war and it was warmly embraced. Hope we will not be having an "accidental ship incident" in the South China Sea or the Taiwan Straits soon involving PRC & US... that would create a "serious debate" given the geopolitical situation of today. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanceSchmerr Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 On 8/8/2020 at 2:46 PM, nino said: Spain had no interest in being involved in a war with the US. Not at all. The US had an interest in Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and a few other places. Hearst and the yellow press did push the war and it was warmly embraced. Hope we will not be having an "accidental ship incident" in the South China Sea or the Taiwan Straits soon involving PRC & US... that would create a "serious debate" given the geopolitical situation of today. Agreed on Spain, but then at that point she was so weak militarily and financially, there was no question that her overseas possessions (those mentioned, but also Guam) would eventually fall to the first aggressor. I share your hope but with PRC pushing the envelope as far as it has in the SCS (creating new islands and then claiming the 12 NM around it? Unreal and outrageous, and yet so far they've gotten away with it), it's only a matter of time before something flares in that region....IMHO anyway. From experience, they are interesting seas to sail through, i'll say that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nino Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 8 hours ago, ChanceSchmerr said: Agreed on Spain, but then at that point she was so weak militarily and financially, there was no question that her overseas possessions (those mentioned, but also Guam) would eventually fall to the first aggressor. The Cubans were doing perfectly well to become independent, no need for an an outside aggressor to steal it from them ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanceSchmerr Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 5 hours ago, nino said: The Cubans were doing perfectly well to become independent, no need for an an outside aggressor to steal it from them I agree, Nino. This is just how things went in the colonial era, until WWI obliterated that world. Colonies/overseas possessions changed hands numerous times....regardless of their own state of development. Makes me glad to know the colonial era is long past.....although if you consider the PRC's actions in Africa, we may be witnessing a neo-colonialism, based on economic control. Build critical infrastructure with cheap loans, and when the local govt can't pay the loans, you take the infrastructure and now you have that country in your control.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nino Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Agreed Chris. But seems like the colonial era is not over. The PRC as you correctly comment is playing the colonial game quite openly. We just dont care in the west. Until it is too late. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanceSchmerr Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 1 hour ago, nino said: Agreed Chris. But seems like the colonial era is not over. The PRC as you correctly comment is playing the colonial game quite openly. We just dont care in the west. Until it is too late. Right. Not enough of us care. Sad state of affairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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